Hindu voices now heard in Bangladesh
Guwahati: Probably for the time in the history of Bangladesh, minority Hindus are hitting the streets with the participation of hundred thousand liberal Bangladeshi nationals with the declaration that they have every right to live in the south Asian country. Rejecting the tendency to take refuge in neighboring Bharat, the young Hindu Bangladeshi protesters asserted that they would live and die in the country. They also reminded that Hindu, Buddhist, Christians also sacrificed in the 1971 freedom movement and hence they deserve a dignified living in the Muslim majority nation of around 170 million population.
Agitating Hindus have already urged the interim government, formed under the leadership of Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and departure to India on 5 August, to immediately protect the religious minority communities in Bangladesh by deploying adequate security forces in the Hindu neighbourhoods, temples, businesses establishments, etc. They also demanded a fair probe into all kinds of violence against Hindus in the last few days. A minority affairs ministry, a commission and proportionate reservation in Jatiya Sansad (national assembly) for the representatives from minority communities are also being placed in front of the caretaker government, which is expected to conduct a fresh national election within a few weeks.
It’s estimated that since the hurried resignation of Hasina, at least 232 people including 100 Hindus were killed in violent attacks across Bangladesh. Prof Yunus has already condemned the attacks on the minority communities terming it as heinous. The octogenarian banker turned social thinker also asked the young people to protect the Hindu, Buddhist and Christian families in the time of crisis. ‘They are our brothers, we fought together and we will stay together’ thus commented Prof Yunus, adding that they have saved the country and why not they would be able to safeguard some families.
Meanwhile, the ousted PM’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy continued making controversial statements from abroad. Joy remained available in various Indian media outlets in the last few days and made one after another outburst regarding the Bangladesh unrest. After his mother’s escape to India, Joy asserted that Hasina will never return to Bangladesh to join active politics. However, he asserted that Awami League will live on with the support of Bangladeshi nationals. So in a different statement, Joy argued that Hasina should return to Bangladeshi politics. Later in a different media interaction, Joy stated that his mother will return to Bangladesh to participate in the election, which should be conducted by the interim government within 90 days.
He also made another stunning statement that Hasina actually did not officially resign as Bangladesh premier. So she should be allowed to go back and take the charge once again in Dhaka. Lately, Joy denied a statement reportedly made by his mother that Washington was behind her ouster. Many Indian media outlets reported that Hasina accused foreign powers like the US of playing politics and she understandably faced the fate after denying the American interest in the Bay of Bengal. But surprisingly, Joy (who lives in the USA) claimed that Hasina had never talked to any media outlet since her departure from Bangladesh and the report was completely false and fabricated.
